Disengageable leg assembly



Feb. 28, 1961 J. E. MCPHEE 2,973,233

DI SENGAGEABLE LEG ASSEMBLY Filed 001;. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN E. MC PHEE A. in M j w Feb. 28, 1961 J. E. MCPHEE 2,973,233

DISENGAGEABLE LEG ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C ig- 5 JOHN E. MC PHEE INV EN TOR.

United States PatcntiC) 2,973,233 DISENGAGEABLE LEG ASSEMBLY.

John E. McPhee, 537 Gladstone SE.,

Grand Rapids, Mich.

Filed Oct. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 764,831 Claims. (Cl. 311-114) This invention relates to the structure of disengageable legs, and has been developed primarily for use in conjunction with various items of household furniture. Shipping and storage cost result in placing a rather high value on compactness, and the removal of the legs will result in reducing the cubic feet of space required to accommodate the article in the warehouse or in a shipping van. In addition, the process of manufacture is considerably facilitated by processing the supporting legs separately from the remainder of the unit. The finishing requirements and procedures are usually considerably different because of the shapes of the surfaces involved, and the possibility of conducting all these operations on the legs in a separate production systemfollowed by shipping the legs in a package along with the unitresults in substantial economy. Experience has also established that the movementof the :main body of the article of furniture through the factory-produc- -tion lines without the attachment of thelegs guards against the possibility of-damaging the :legs or knocking them out of position. The removable leg arrangement provided by this invention not only includes these desirable characteristics, but also establishes a very durable supporting and sliding surface for the article of furniture after the legs have been removed. The several features of the invention will be analyzed in detail through a discussion of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1' presents a side elevation of the supporting plate which is secured to the underside of the article of furniture. i

Figure 2 presents a plan view of :the .,.plates shown in Figure 1, Figures 1 and 2 being in projection.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the plade'dH-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 illustrates the use of a .gage member for positioning the locking projections on'the upper end of the legs.

Figure 5 presents a side elevation of a leg unit detached from the base plate, and showing the screws which function as locking projections for engagement with the base plate.

Figure 6 is a view, partially in section, showing the engagement of the legwith the base plate.

Figure 7 is a view and front elevation illustrating the attachment of removable legs to a conventional television set.

Figure 8 is an enlarged view over that of Figure 7, and showing a corner of the unit adjacent the point of leg attachment.

Figure 9 illustrates the television set prior to the attachment of the legs, and in the condition which it will normally move through the assembly line which manufactures the case of the set.

Referring to the drawings, the base (or mounting) plate of the preferred form of the invention includes a peripheral flange 11 and a central area 12 which is offset from the plane of the mounting surface 13 estab- 2,973,233 Patented Feb. 28, 1961 lished by the flange 11.. The flange is pierced with the holes 1417 for receiving screws engaging the under-. side of thecase of an article of furniture such as the television set 18 shown'in Figures 7, 8, and 9. The central portion 12 of the mounting plate is provided with a pair of keyhole-shaped apertures each having a .large end as shown at 19 and 20, and a small end as indicated at 21 and 22. Portions of the material of the central portion 12 are displaced as shown at 23 and 24 to form a ramp extending toward the plane of the surface 13, proceeding in the direction from the large ends 19 and 20 towards the small ends 21 and 22. The large ends 19 and 20 receive the heads 25 and 26 of a pair of screws extending above the plane of the end 27 of the leg member 28, and rotation of the leg with respect to the plate about the axis of the leg results in moving the shanks 29 and 30 of the screws into the smaller ends 21 and 22, respectively, of the openings in the central part 12 of the plate. Movement of the heads into engagement with the ramp portions 22 and 23 results in pulling the end 27 of the leg-solidly into engagement with the portion 12 to remove all lost motion in the mounting of the leg. Preferably, the ramps should terminate in flattened areas to minimize a tendency for the leg to work loose. The underside of the heads 25 and 26 should be formed to a conical or rounded curvature to facilitate the movement of the heads on the ramps and avoid digging in.

To use the full effect ofa locking arrangement of this type, it is necessary to accurately establish the distance :betweenthe'end 27 of the leg and the underside of the heads 25 and 26. A procedure for accomplishing this is shown in Figure 4. A guage plate 31 having slots 32 and 33 is placed on the end of the leg 28, and the screws tightened so that the heads 25 and 26 come down into engagement with the plate 31. A torque-limiting screwdriver will serve to establish the necessary uniformity in the pressure with which the screws are driven into engagement with the guage plate. After the screws have been driven, the plate 31 is forcibly withdrawn.

During the process of manufacture, this surface 34 of the mounting plate provides a durable and effective siding face for supporting the case 18; and with these .auxiliary supporting surfaces exposed, the case may be slid back and forth on a floorwithout serious danger of damage. Alternatively, a set of casters may be provided with projections similar to those of the heads 25 and 26 for temporary engagementwith the mounting plates during the manufacturing operations. During the illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered 60- a limitation upon the scope of the appended claims. In these claims, it is my intent to claim the entire invention disclosed herein, except as I am limited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A disengageable leg assembly, comprising: a mounting plate having supporting portions for receiving fastenings and having a mounting surface, said mounting plate also having a portion offset from the plane of said supporting portions and paralleled thereto, and provided with a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings each having a large and a small end, the material adjacent each of said openings forming a ramp extending toward the plane of said mounting surface proceeding from the 7 large end of said keyhole-shaped openings toward the small end thereof; and a leg member having the upper end thereof provided with screws each having a head engageable with the large end of said keyhole-shaped openings and with the underside of said screw heads disposed at a distance from said upper end of said leg member equal to or less than the distance from the side of said ramp adjacent the plane of said supporting portions and the lower surface of said portion offset from the plane of said supporting portions and parallel thereto, and said heads being receivable between said ramps and the plane of said mounting surface, said screws each also having a shank receivable in the small end of said openings whereby movement'of said screws into engage- .ment with their respective ramps results in pulling the upper ends of said leg member solidly into engagement with the lower surface of said portion offset from the plane of said supporting portions and parallel thereto to remove all lost motion in the mounting of the leg member on the mounting plate.

2. A disengageable leg assembly, comprising: mounting plate having a peripheral flange provided with apertures for receiving fastenings and having a mounting surface, said mounting plate also having a central portion offset from the plane of said flange and parallel thereto,

and provided with a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings each having a large and a small end, the material adjacent each of said openings being displaced from the surface defining the remainder of said central offset [portion to form a ramp extending toward the plane of I. adjustable lengtheach having a head engageable with the large end of said keyhole-shaped openings and with the underside of said heads disposed at a distance from said upper end of said leg member equal to or less than the distance from the side of said ramp adjacent the plane of said flange and the lower surface of said central portion offset from the plane of said flange and'parallel thereto, and said heads being receivable between said ramps and the plane of said mounting surface, said projections each also having a shank receivable in the small end of said openings whereby movement of said projections into engagement with their respective ramps results in pulling the upper end of said leg member solidly into engagement with the lower surface of said central portion offset from the plane of said flange and parallel thereto.

' 4; A disengageable leg assembly, comprising: a mounting plate having supporting portions for receiving fastenings and having a mounting surface, said mounting plate also having a portion offset from the plane of said supporting portions and provided with a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings each having a large and a small end, the material adjacent each of said openings forming a ramp extending toward the plane of said mounting surface proceeding from the large end of said keyhole-shaped openings toward the small end thereof; and a leg member having the upper end thereof pro- .vided with projections of adjustable length each having said mounting surface proceeding from the large end of 1' said keyhole-shaped openings toward the small end thereof; and a leg member having the upper end thereof provided with projections of adjustable length each having a head engageable with the large end of said .a head engageable with the large end of said keyhole- 30.

shaped openings and with the underside of said heads disposed at a distance from said upper end of said leg member equal to or less than the distance from the side ;of said ramp adjacent the plane of said supporting porkeyhole-shaped openings and with the underside of said heads disposed at a distance from said upper end of said leg member equal to or less than the distance from the side of said ramp adjacent the plane of said flange and the lower surface of said central portion offset from the plane of said flange and parallel thereto, and said heads 'being receivable between said ramps and the plane of said mounting surface, said projections each also having 'a shank receivable in the small end of said openings 'whereby movement of said projections into engagement -with their respective ramps results in pulling the upper end of said leg member solidly into engagement with the lower surface of said central portion olfset from the plane of said flange and parallel thereto.

3. A disengageable leg assembly, comprising: a mounting plate having a peripheral flange provided with'apertures for receiving fastenings and having amounting surface, said mounting plate also having a central portion olfset from the plane of said flange and parallel thereto, and provided with 'a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings each having a large and a small end, the material adjacent each of said openings forming a ramp extending toward the plane of said mounting surface proceeding from the large end of said keyhole-shaped openings toward the small end thereof; and a leg mem her having the upper end thereof provided with pro--'" tions and the lower-surface of said portion oflset from the plane of said supporting portions and parallel thereto, said projections each also having a shank receivable in the small end of said openings whereby movement of said screws into engagement with their respective ramps results in pulling the upper end of said leg member solidly into engagement with the lower surface of said portion offset from the plane of said supporting portions and parallel thereto to remove all lost motion in ,the mounting. of the leg member on the mounting plate.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ramps adjacent the small ends of the openings terminate in small flattened areas to minimize any tendency for the leg member to work loose after it has been secured to the mounting plate.

j .References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,715

Fowler July 11, 1842 240,668 Curry Apr. 26, 1881 522,221 Lucashevski July 3, 1894 7 5 7,712 Arnold Apr. 10, 1904 "1,520,520 Thomason Dec. 23, 1924 1,762,776 Gardner June 10, 1930 2,784,930 Wernecke Mar. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 273,054 Great Britain June 30, 1927 292,665 Great Britain June 19, 1928 

